5 Ways to Add 22 Years to Your Life

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MSN Health & Fitness:

1. Next Time You’re Asked “Soup or Salad?” Order the Salad

+2 years

Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add 2 years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables.

To eat your quota, fill a ziplock sandwich bag with chopped red and green peppers, broccoli, and carrots. Toss the bag into your briefcase, along with a packet of dressing—the fat will boost your body’s absorption of certain nutrients.

>>>Free 6 week meal plan. Download it here!

 

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2. Learn the Law of Lard: The Fat You Carry Today Could Kill You Tomorrow

+3 years

University of Alabama researchers discovered that maintaining a body-mass index of 25 to 35 can shorten your life by up to 3 years. (Excess body fat raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.)

If you’re allergic to exercise, sweat with your significant other. A Duke University study shows that sedentary men are 50 percent more likely to work out three times a week if their partners participate.

 

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3. Crack Open a Fresh Can of Nuts and Extend Your Expiration Date

+3 years

When Loma Linda University researchers tracked the lifestyle habits of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists—a population famous for its longevity—they discovered that those who munched nuts 5 days a week, earned an extra 2.9 years on the planet.

Pick up the Planters NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix: It contains all five key nuts, including walnuts, which are usually left out of nut mixes. Aim to eat 2 ounces a day.

 

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4. Never Forget that Your Buddies Have Your Back—Even When It’s Hunched Over from Osteoporosis

+7 years

In a study of seventysomethings, Australian researchers found that those with the largest network of friends had the longest lease on life. For the average guy, this could add up to 7 additional years of existence.

Yes, some buddies may encourage risky behavior from time to time, but friendship ultimately provides more protection than peril. So try to learn a few new faces at work, trade lifting tips at the gym, or simply say “hey” to that neighbor you’ve never met. You can all thank each other later.

 

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5. Repeat After Us: “There is Life After Retirement”

+7 1/2 years

Or at least that’s what you’d better believe if you want to live that long. In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than 7 years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health.

Already envisioning decades of decrepitude? Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about: Selfless actions can put a positive spin on life and distract from unhealthy obsessing, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine.

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